


remember everything will be alright

by Hazloveshisboo



Series: We Know Where We Belong [23]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M, Non-Serum Steve Rogers/Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes | Shrinkyclinks, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, This is fluff, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, cute sam/bucky friendship, the fluffiest fluff with angst for all of one paragraph, when i reread this i started tearing up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 13:06:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17244764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hazloveshisboo/pseuds/Hazloveshisboo
Summary: After an Avenger's bonding night, the team learns Bucky is worthy.





	remember everything will be alright

**Author's Note:**

> this is one of my favorite headcanons so of course I had to write it! let me know what you think!
> 
> title from Sign of the Times by Harry Styles

Sam was, unwillingly, sitting on one of the couches in the living room of the Avengers compound in the living quarters. Pepper was out of town for business and as a result, Tony had called a mandatory Avengers meeting and currently almost everyone was there. Romanoff and Barton were sharing a loveseat. Wanda, Parker, Banner, and himself were on one of the large couches. Tony was in an armchair and the only members missing were Thor and Barnes which is not surprising – Thor was rarely on planet and Barnes only showed up to a quarter of the mandatory meetings outside of training. 

“So!” Tony started, clapping his hands together once to get their attention. “Since we’re all here-”

“You made us come, Tony,” Romanoff deadpanned.

“-we should do some team building!” Tony finished, ignoring the comment. “What should we do? We could Never Have I Ever, or Truth or Dare, or even Scrabble!”

“Tony, those are all games for-” Banner was cut off as the door opened to reveal Thor dragging along a very reluctant looking Barnes. 

“Friends!” Thor said loudly. “I am sorry I am late for our joining but I ran into the Soldier of Winter outdoors and we were chatting!” he walked further into the room and forcibly pushed Barnes down onto an empty couch and sat next to him, setting his hammer on the ground next to him. “What were discussing before I interrupted?”

“I’m glad you asked,” Tony said gleefully. “We were going to do team building exercises, how does that sound?”

“It sounds wonderful!” Thor beamed and then leaned in to Barnes. “What does that mean?” he tried to whisper, but everyone could hear him. 

“It means,” Tony started, glaring at the rest of them before they could protest, “that we’re playing a drinking game.” Sam groaned, the sentiment chorused by most of the group. “I don’t want to hear it. It’s bonding!” With that, Tony jumped off his chair and headed into the kitchen, coming back with several different bottles of liquor and one bottle of apple juice. He handed the juice to Parker and set the rest on the coffee table, pulling plastic cups from under his arm and tossing them at Sam. Sam rolled his eyes as he caught them and took one, handing it over to Banner. They continued to pass the cups around until they got to Barnes. 

“Alcohol has no effect on me, Stark,” he said. 

“That is no problem! I have brought Asgardian mead with me,” Thor said and pulled a flask from his pocket. “Human drink has no effect on me either, and this mead is a drink no mortal man could stomach,” he proclaimed and then poured half the flask into Barnes’ cup. Sam hid a laugh behind his own, reaching forward and taking the bottle of whiskey. If he was going to be forced into this, he was going to be drunk. 

***  
Sam never needed to know that much about Tony Stark and where his dick had been – ever. He never needed that information and now he was stuck with it for the rest of his life. He had woken up hungover on the couch with the image of Clint Barton demonstrating just how far he could take a dick down his throat with one of his arrows burned into his retinae and the sound of Tony Stark proudly telling them he regularly took Pepper’s strap-on in his ears. Wanda had taken Peter to bed before things had gotten too explicit, thankfully, as she nor Banner was participating in the drinking either, and Stark, Barton, Romanoff, Barnes, Thor, and himself were the only ones left. Barton and Romanoff were curled up together on the loveseat, Stark was on the floor on his stomach, Thor was on the sofa, and Barnes awake and sitting up in the chair Tony occupied the night before.

Sam grunted and stood carefully, heading to the kitchen. “You want any coffee?” he asked Barnes as he walked past. Barnes just nodded and stood, following him in. Sam started the coffee maker and got two mugs down. “How are you feeling after last night?”

“I haven’t had a hangover in seventy-seven years,” Barnes started. “And it is far worse than I remember.” Sam laughed lightly as he poured out the coffee. 

“Well, Asgardian mead will probably do that to you,” he said and handed one of the mugs over to Barnes. “So why did you come last night? You don’t usually show up to these things.”

“Well, Steve was busy working on a commission and he told me I should come so I didn’t distract him,” Barnes explained. Sam nodded along.

“That’s good. That he had a commission, I mean. What kind of art does he do?” he asked.

“Mostly painting, oils, acrylics. He sketches but that’s mostly in his free time,” Bucky explained. “Oil paintings are a thing for rich people again I guess, he’s been getting a lot of commissions for them by socialites and stuff.” 

“Is he making good money doing art? There’s always that stereotype of the starving artist,” Sam asked.

“Everyone was starving in my day, didn’t matter if you were an artist or not,” Bucky deadpanned. “But no, despite his profession and appearance, Steve can usually keep up with me when we eat. That’s not what keeps him skinny, it’s all his meds.” 

“Meds? What kind of meds does he have to take?” Sam asked, frowning a little. “If you don’t mind me asking. You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want.” 

“Nah, it’s alright. He’s got heart problems, blood pressure, respiratory. You name it, he’s probably had it at some point,” Barnes smiled tightly. “But he takes care of himself the best he can with no insurance, which is another issue I have with this century.” Sam chuckled as he took a drink of his coffee. 

“Trust me, so do most of us,” he said just as Romanoff walked in without greeting them, making herself a cup of coffee. “How are you feeling?” Romanoff just glared at him and grunted, taking a sip. Within the next twenty minutes, the rest of the group filtered in and got themselves their own mugs and leaned against various surfaces in the kitchen. Thor was the last in and seemed perfectly fine, something Sam resented with everything in him. 

“Last night was a great night of bonding!” he said and clapped Stark on the shoulder, not noticing the wince that crossed his face. “I am glad I was able to make it.” 

“Us too, buddy,” Barton said. “We’re supposed to train today, right? Let’s not do that. Let’s definitely not do that and just take a nap and maybe drink about a gallon of coffee.” 

“That’s what you usually do,” Romanoff said without opening her eyes, forehead pressed to the fridge. 

“That’s not important. What’s important is that we do it today,” Barton countered, shooting Romanoff a glare. 

“I second that,” Stark said, raising his hand. “All in favor?” 

“Hey guys!” Parker said excitedly as he ran into the kitchen. “I’m ready to train!” Barton groaned loudly and immediately left to go back into the living room where Sam could see him collapse onto one of the sofas. Parker frowned and watched him go. “What’s wrong?”

“You know damn well what’s wrong, kid,” Barnes said and pushed himself off the counter and headed into the living room. “Training is canceled today, so are you coming back with me?” Parker followed Barnes, babbling on about how he could go see Michelle then – whoever that was. Soon everyone had refilled their mugs at least once and made their way back to lounge around the sofas. Sam sat in one of the armchairs and watched as Barnes looked around, lifting up pillows and cushions on unoccupied furniture. 

“What are you looking for, man?” he asked.

“Phone,” Barnes replied. Sam glanced around him and saw it wedged next to his thigh. Just as he was about to call to Barnes that he found it, he saw Barnes lift Thor’s hammer – Thor’s fucking hammer. Everyone around the room froze. Barnes did as well once he noticed everyone’s reaction. “What?” he demanded. 

He was just holding it so casually, like he didn’t understand the gravity of the situation which, to be fair, Sam didn’t think he did. The night they all tried to lift the hammer had been long before Barnes showed up and unless someone explained the hammer’s power, Barnes would have no way of knowing only the worthy were supposed to be able to lift it. 

“What?” Barnes said again, louder this time.

“It’s just…you can lift the hammer?” Stark answered finally. 

“So what?” Barnes glared at him. 

“Only the worthy can lift my mighty Mjolnir,” Thor said and clapped Barnes on the back. “She has chosen you.” 

“Worthy of what?” Barnes eyes narrowed, looking up at Thor.

“Ruling Asgard, of course, but I suspect she has changed her meaning of worthy. Perhaps anyone that she feels would do good with her, use her strength for the better,” Thor explained. “Whatever she has decided worthy means, she has decided you are it, friend. It is a great honor. You are only the second person in my lifetime to lift her, after me of course!” 

“What?” Barnes voice was weaker this time, staring down at the hammer. He was holding it in his left hand. 

“Yeah, ice queen. None of us can lift it, and we’ve all tried,” Stark said. “You’re extra special.” Suddenly, the hammer dropped to the floor with a loud clang. 

“I have to go,” Barnes said stiffly and hurried out of the room. Sam glanced around the room quickly before following him out. 

“Barnes!” he called, jogging after the other man. “Barnes!” Finally, he stopped just inside the front door, muscles tense. 

“What do you want?” Barnes asked, turning to face him slowly. 

“What’s going through your head, man? What happened back there?” Sam asked quietly, sure Barnes didn’t want anyone overhearing this. 

“What do you mean?” Barnes asked.

“I mean why you freaked. And just, the hammer just dropped,” Sam continued. “What happened?”

“I’m not…I’m not worthy of something like that. I shouldn’t be able to lift that thing. I’ve killed thousands of people, I’ve started wars that killed millions,” Barnes whispered. 

“No, you didn’t Barnes. The Winter Soldier did, and you are not him. The Winter Soldier is Hydra’s assassin and that’s not you. You destroyed Hydra single-handedly, took them down. A worldwide Nazi organization was wiped off the map because of you. That’s only good for everyone, Barnes,” Sam said sincerely. “Look, I think it’s important that you differentiate between yourself and the Soldier because you’re not the same person. And maybe we don’t help it, by calling you Soldier on the field and Barnes everywhere else, but, that’s not you, man.” Barnes stared at Sam with wide eyes, disbelieving and vulnerable in a way that Sam had never seen. 

“No one’s ever told me that, besides Steve,” Barnes admitted. 

“Well, it’s true. And if you ever want us to call you something else, just say so and we will okay?” Sam reached out and squeezed his shoulder carefully. “I know you don’t trust us completely and that’s fair, but we’re here for you. You’ve been a part of our team for years now.” Barnes nodded slowly and took a deep breath. 

“Yeah, yeah, okay. Thanks, I guess,” he said. “And I guess, if you wanted to call me Bucky, that wouldn’t be so bad.” 

“Sounds good, man,” Sam grinned. “Now go ahead and get going, I’m sure Steve is waiting for you.” Barnes – Bucky nodded again and turned, opening the door and heading outside. 

“Bucky!” Sam called out before he could get too far away. Bucky froze and looked over his shoulder at Sam. “Just for the record, I think you’re worthy.” Sam couldn’t be sure, but he would have sworn he saw Bucky smile as he started back down the path once more.

**Author's Note:**

> [my tumblr](http://hazloveshisboo.tumblr.com/)
> 
> i am always taking requests so please leave them in a comment or message me on tumblr with any you have!


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